To stay amazing,
Phils need some relief

In the Batter’s Box
By Matt Godfrey

There is at least one thing the Phillies have done on a consistent basis thus far — they have not ceased to amaze.
Whether in a good way or a bad way, this team has kept things interesting, to say the least.
They amazed us before they even started the season by adding workhorse pitcher Freddy Garcia and giving up next to nothing for him.
They continued to amaze when they started the season by losing 11 of their first 15 games. And they amazed us yet again when they decided to send their opening-day starter — their ace-in-the-making, Brett Myers — to the bullpen.
So amazement is nothing new to the fans in Philadelphia.
With all of that already behind them, the Phils strolled into Shea Stadium two weeks ago for a series against the first-place New York Mets in front of the Mets’ home crowd.
It was a crowd already raucous enough because of some predictions that cocky Jimmy Rollins made in the preseason — predictions I refuse to repeat because it irritates me still every time I read it — about the Phils’ chances for the season.
On the surface, it was a series widely viewed as just another meeting between division rivals.
Below the surface, there was much at stake.
For the Phils, it was a series against a team that blasted to a commanding lead last season and never looked back. A series against a Mets team that was threatening to do the same this year, just a third of the way through the season.
The Phils were sitting in third place, already eight games behind the Mets for the National League East lead, when they entered the series.
It would have spelled likely doom had they lost two out of three — or even been swept — and left the Phils either 10 or 11 games back in the division.
But the team, it seems, wasn’t running low on amazement.
They won all three games against the Mets with strong pitching and timely hitting.
The wins were not easy — the Phils came from behind late in two of the three games — but they were wins.
The team flew out of New York only five games behind the division leaders. They also flew out with a sense of accomplishment.
Undoubtedly, they left with a sense of possibility. And possibly at a point that they’ll be able to look back on as the true turnaround for their season.
Since then, they have pulled as close as two games of claiming the division lead and as much as four games above .500.
In the span of games that includes that Mets series, the Phils had won eight of 12 games until last Sunday’s series finale against the Detroit Tigers.
However, as much as the Phils have helped themselves by winning games, they have received an inadvertent boost from the slumping Mets and Atlanta Braves.
Both have faltered in recent weeks. In that same span, the Mets have dropped 10 of 12 games.
The Braves have lost eight of 13.
Those troubles have certainly helped the Phils’ resurgence.
So, does this mean the Phillies are starting their customary late-season push early?
Not necessarily.
They still need to straighten out their bullpen issues. It’s something that has confronted this team all season. It’s also something they may be able to address as more and more teams start to realize they have no shot at the postseason, and thus get in a trading mood.
I’m just hoping the Phils will be able to amaze us again by plucking a couple of good arms to improve the bullpen.
The challenge for the team now is to win as many series as possible.
Chase Utley commented a few weeks back that "Baseball is a game of failure. You just have to learn to deal with it."
Dealing with it is one thing. Accepting it is, well, unacceptable. If the Phils can neutralize their shortcomings and capitalize on their strengths, we just might start wondering if Jimmy Rollins really did know what he was talking about. ••
Columnist Matt Godfrey can be reached at 215-354-3113 or mgodfrey@phillynews.com